The program begins on March 14th at the Newark Boys and Girls Club; the Sevens will run a ‘FIT87 Clinic,’ an 87-minute long fitness and basketball clinic. Staff from the Sixers and Sevens will teach Newark-area kids fitness and basketball skills, stressing the importance of daily physical activity.

On Tuesday, March 15, Sevens players cross the street to the UD STAR Campus, home of the College of Health Sciences, for an afternoon of fitness and nutrition. Accompanied by local elementary school students, the players will rotate between cardiovascular tests conducted by UD’s Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, motion analysis sessions conducted by Biomedical Engineering and nutrition counseling with Behavioral Health and Nutrition (featuring post-practice shakes).

On Friday, March 18, Fit Week concludes at the Bob Carpenter Center when Delaware 87ers and the Fort Wayne Mad Ants face off. The game will include several fitness PSA readings as well as an on-court FIT contest. In addition, there will be a STAR Health-sponsored interactive exhibit in the 87ers Kids Zone featuring an exercise science station and nutrition counseling provided by UD’s Danielle Kirkman and Sharon Collison.

“We’re really excited to partner with the Delaware 87ers on the inaugural D-League Fit Week. Nutrition and sports performance go hand-in-hand and you can’t out-train a poor diet,” says Sharon Collison, registered dietitian at STAR Health and instructor of Behavioral Health and Nutrition in the College of Health Sciences. “In addition to improving sports performance, lifelong good eating habits are also critical to reduce the risk of diseases such as obesity, heart disease, and certain cancers, and to live a longer, healthier life.”

You can follow the Sevens and College of Health Sciences Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts throughout D-League Fit Week for daily health tips and contests to keep you active throughout the week.

As the public-facing health entity of the UD College of Health Sciences, STAR Health wants to tell the Newark community that it’s open to the public for health services and research studies.

“A partnership with the 87ers is really a great fit for STAR Health,” says Michael Smith, director of strategic initiatives for the College of Health Sciences. “Their organization has already engrained itself in the local community and that folds in perfectly with our mission.”

STAR Health is the public-facing entity of the UD College of Health Sciences, where combining research and education leads us to a new direction in healthcare. Comprehensive clinical services are open to the public, including nutrition counseling, health coaching, fitness coaching, primary care, speech-language pathology and physical therapy.